Coda Rayo-Garza, Senior Director of Research & Data

Coda Rayo-Garza, PhD, serves as the Senior Director of Research and Data at Every Texan. A fronteriza born and raised in Laredo, Texas, Coda is a daughter of immigrants and a first-generation college graduate. Her diverse career spans the nonprofit and government sectors, including previous work as a Lecturer of Political Science.

Coda earned her B.A. in Philosophy from Texas State University, followed by an M.A. in Political Science and a PhD in Applied Demography from the University of Texas at San Antonio. In addition to her research, she is a co-founder of Fiesta Wishes and serves on the Board of Directors for CommuniCare Health Centers. She is also the co-author of Latinos in the US: Diversity and Change (2nd Edition), published by Polity Press.

Where to find me during session: Crunching numbers and defending survey data

My surprising hobby: I play the drums

Coda's Recent Work

How the ACA Fights the Opioid Epidemic

Every day, on average, 78 Americans die from opioid abuse.[1] But did you know that the Affordable Care Act (ACA/Obamacare) has been the key way that states have developed tools to fight the

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Repeal Bill Threatens Texas Medicaid

Last week’s Congressional Budget Office (CBO) official “score” for the House’s ACA Repeal bill found that it would cut Medicaid spending by 880 billion over 10 years, with 14 million

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